ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that the two-day visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan will have positive impact on the entire region.
His statement came hours after the Chinese president accompanied by first lady Peng Liyuan, senior ministers, high-level functionaries of the Communist Party and senior government officials arrived in Islamabad on his maiden visit to Pakistan.
Talking to media persons in Islamabad on Monday, the minister said that Xi Jinping’s visit will change the economic map of Pakistan.
During Xi Jinping’s visit, Pakistan and China will sign number of important agreements and memorandums of understandings (MoUs) worth billions of dollars covering key development projects in the infrastructure, energy and communication sectors under the ambit of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (PCEC).
The defence minister said that the PCEC is a very important project which will connect the regional countries.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while talking to the top executives of three leading Chinese companies including China Huaneng Group, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Zonergy Corporation in Islamabad on Monday said that the Chinese president’s visit will usher in a new era of development in Pakistan and open a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries.
The prime minister appreciated the role of the companies for undertaking various projects in Pakistan including ones that are part of the PCEC Project.
